Dr. Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou

Ghassemlou was the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) (حیزبی دێموکراتی کوردستانی ئێران – PDKI) from 1973 until his assassination in 1989 by individuals suspected of being agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran. As the secretary general of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) he led the Kurdish nationalist struggle for Kurdish autonomy in Iran.

Early life and education

Born in Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran to a wealthy feudal family, Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou was instructed in a Quranic school. His father was Mohammad Vesugh Ghassemlou, a landowning Kurdish nationalist Agha and Khan from the Shekak tribe who was born in 1875. His mother was Nana Jan Timsar, also known as Fatima, was an Assyrian Christianwho converted to Islam. His father was an adviser to the Shah of Iran, who gave him the title “Wussuq-e Divan.” He completed his early education in Urmia and then on Tehran. He witnessed the Republic of Mahabad and became a co-founder member of the youth wing of KDP-I at the age of 15. Ghassemlou moved to France to continue his studies at Sorbonne. He meet his wife Helen Krulich in Czechoslovakia. They had two daughters together, Mina (1953) and Hewa (1955).

Abd-al-Raḥmān Qāsemlu was fluent in 8 languages Kurdish, Persian, Arabic, Azerbaijani, French, English, Czech, Russian. He was also familiar with German